Flashlight for ladies&#39; handbag



July 11, 1967 c. H. BUSH 3,330,949

FLASHLIGHT FOR LADIES HANDBAG Filed March 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. CECIL H. BUSH A T TORNE Y July 11, 1967 c. H. BUSH GHT FORLADIES HANDBAG FLASHLI 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 4, 1965 INVENTOR.CEO/L H. BUSH A T TORNE Y United vStates Patent 3,330,949 FLASHLIGHT FORLADIES HANDBAG Cecil H. Bush, 3123 N. Turkeyfoot Road, Akron, Ohio 44319Filed Mar. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 437,013 4 Claims. or. 240-645) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE Flashlight as for attachment in a ladies handbag,includes a backing plate having an outer peripheral edge and a hollowelastic casing yieldingly releasably attached to peripheral edge of theplate. Light bulb, battery means, and electrical circuitry in the deviceincludes a movable switch selectively operable to light the bulb.Essential parts yieldingly contained solely by releasable attachment ofelastic casing to the plate for easy assembly and replacement of saidparts.

This invention relates to flashlights and, in particular, relates to aflashlight for attachment Within a ladies handbag.

One object of the present invention is to provide a flashlight forattachment within a ladies handbag, including improved switch meansoperable by slight pressure on the wall of the flashlight casing,whereby the flashlight is selectively operable by touch of a fingerinserted within the handbag in the normal act of opening the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flashlight of thecharacter described in which removable and replaceable parts are firmlyretained in a circuitry by selfoperating elasticity of an enclosingcontainer for the same, and thereby obviating the use of metal springsand metal-to-metal sliding parts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flashlight of thecharacter described which is simple and economical to produce andassemble in manufacture of the same, and likewise easy to operate forreplacement of batteries and flashlight bulbs.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from thefollowing brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a purse flashlight embodying thefeatures of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevation of the flashlight, as viewed fromthe right of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged rear elevation corresponding to FIGURE 2,but with a backing plate of the flashlight removed from its hollowcasing.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 1,but on the same enlarged scale as FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal cross-section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE4, and on the same scale as FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical cross-section taken substantially on the line 77of FIGURE 4, and on the same scale.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic wiring diagram of the elec trical circuitry ofthe flashlight.

Referring to the drawings, generally, the numeral 10 designates aflashlight housing, including a thin, rigid backing plate 11 of ovateshape defined by a peripheral edge 11a, and a casing 12 of moldedrubber-like elastic material, including a generally flat wall 13 formedwith an inturned marginal flange 14 to define a peripheral groove 15complementally yieldingly receiving said peripheral edge of the plate,and thereby releasably to 3,336,949 Patented July 11, 1967 support thecasing thereon. (See FIGURES 2, and 5 to 7.) The flange 14 yieldinglyretains the plate 11 flatwise against the flat wall 13 of the casing,but is manually yieldingly distortable to permit rem-oval of the plateto expose the interior of the casing for purposes to be described.

As best shown in FIGURES 4 and 8, the electrical circuitry may include alight bulb 16, yieldingly or otherwise releasably received in a recessedportion 17 of casing 12 to have a light-giving end exposed downwardly ofthe casing (see FIGURES l, 3, 4, and 5); two batteries 19 and 20yieldingly retained within a recess 22 formed by an outward extension 23in the casing 12, these batteries being connected in series by a contactelement 21 engaging across adjacent positive and negative poles of thebatteries, at one end of the recessed portion 22, the backing plate 11serving as a ground for the circuitry; and a movable switch contact,namely, a brass or copper button 24 mounted through a dome-shaped bulge25 in the casing, normally to hold the grommet out of contact withground plate 11, but the bulge 25 being inwardly depressible against theresiliency of the elastic material of the casing. At the other end ofrecessed portion 22, the contact 24 connects with the positive pole ofbattery 20, through a copper or brass rivet 26 aflixed through the wallof casing extension 23, and a wire 27 between rivet 26 and contact 24. Asimilarly aflixed rivet 29 in casing extension 23 connects the negativeside of battery 19 with the positive side of bulb 16 through a wire 30,while the bulb is grounded by engagement of a rivet 32, in wall 13 ofthe elastic casing normally contacting the plate 11, and through a wire33 from rivet 32 to the negative side of the bulb. Thus, by yieldinglydepressing the bulge 25 inwardly, contact 24 grounds on plate 11 toclose a circuit through the batteries to bulb 16 to light the same (seeFIGURES 4 and 8).

It will be seen, therefore, that the batteries are yieldingly held inoperative position in the elastic casing 12 solely by contractionstresses within the inherently resilient elastic wall of easingextension 23. That is, no springs or mechanical means other than thecasing is required to hold the batteries in operative condition withinthe casing recess 22, as shown in FIGURE 4 (in which the backing plate11 has been removed). Likewise, as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 5, thebacking plate 11 is yieldingly retained backed against the casing wall13' by the yielding contractile grip of the grooved outer portion of theelastic casing about the peripheral edge 11a of the plate.

For facilitating replacement of bulb 16, the same may be of known typehaving a threaded metal base screwed into a threaded shell securedwithin the recessed casing portion 17. The construction is such thatupon removal of the backing plate, by distorting or stretching theflanged portion 14 of casing 12, the other above-described portions ofthe circuitry will remain intact within the casing. The batteries may beeasily removed and replaced, however, against the elasticity of thecasing material without disturbing other portions of the circuitry.

As indicated in FIGURES 2 and 5, the portions of the inner face of plate11 overlying the batteries 19 and 20 may be provided with a coating orlayer 11b of insulating material to minimize any change of shorting thecircuitry.

The outer face of backing plate 11 may have atfixed thereon suitableattaching means 35, including laterally spaced, down-turned pins 36, 36adapted to be inserted through the inner lining of a ladies handbag sothat the bulb 16 will be presented downwardly therein, and so that thecasing bulge will be closely adjacent the usual clasp portion of thebag, to be engageable by an inwardly extended thumb, for example, uponopening the handbag.

Accordingly, in use of the flashlight aflixed in a ladies handbag, asdescribed above, a thumb inserted within the 'bag in the normal processof opening the bag, may be used to depress the casing bulge 25 inwardly,thereby closing the electrical circuit, as best shown in FIGURE 8, byengaging contact 24 with ground plate 11. By maintaining a grip on thewall of the bag (not shown), and at the same time holding the circuitclosed by said use of the thumb, the user may manipulate the flashlightto concentrate the light of bulb 16 toward different areas within thehandbag.

Thus, has been provided a simple, economical to manufacture, flashlighthaving the advantages set forth in the stated objects of the invention.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit thereof, -or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A flashlight, as for attachment within a ladies handbag, comprising:a backing plate having an outer peripheral edge; a hollow casing ofrubber-like elastic material having a peripheral marginal portion ininterfitting connection with said peripheral edge of the plate,yieldingly releasably to support the casing to the plate against theelasticity of the casing material; and an electrical circuitry containedby the casing, including light bulb means, a

source of electrical energy, and a switch selectively operable toconnect said source with said light bulb means to light the same; saidswitch including relatively fixed and movable contact means in a portionof said circuitry between said electrical source and said light bulbmeans; said casing having a depressible elastic portion carrying saidmovable contact and being yieldingly depressible against the inherentelasticity of the casing material to engage the movable contact with thefixed contact; said source being electrical battery means and saidcasing having elastic portions yieldingly retaining the same against thebacking of said plate; and said backing plate being at least partly ofelectro-conductive material serving as a ground for said circuitry.

2. A flashlight as in claim 1, said plate having means thereon forfastening the flashlight to another object.

3. A flashlight as in claim 2, said means for fastening including arelatively fixed catch and a yieldingly movable pin yieldinglyengageable with said catch.

4. A flashlight, as for attachment within a ladies handbag, comprising:a backing plate having an outer peripheral edge; a hollow casing ofrubber-like elastic material having an inturned marginal portiondefining a peripheral groove complementally receiving said peripheraledge of the plate, releasably to support the casing thereon; and anelectrical circuitry contained by the casing, including a light bulb, asource of electrical energy and a switch selectively operable to connectsaid source with said bulb to light the same; said switch includingrelatively fixed and movable contact means in a portion of saidcircuitry between said electrical source and said bulb, said casinghaving a raised portion carrying said movable contact and being inwardlydepressible against the inherent elasticity of the casing to engage themovable contact with the fixed contact; said source being dry-cellmeans, and said casing having recess means receiving and yieldinglyembracing the same against the backing of said plate, said backing platebeing electro-conductive metal and serving as a ground for saidcircuitry.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,392,163 9/1921 Hofi'mann 240-411,866,600 7/1932 Rauch 240l0.65 2,202,315 5/1940 Langdon 240-412,534,179 12/1950 Peterson et al. 2406.45 2,536,484 l/1951 Avery240-1065 2,932,917 4/ 1960 Patane 240-l0.61

NORTON ANSI-1BR, Primary Examiner.

C. C. LOGAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. A FLASHLIGHT, AS FOR ATTACHMENT WITHIN A LADIES'' HANDBAG,COMPRISING: A BACKING PLATE HAVING AN OUTER PERIPHERAL EDGE; A HOLLOWCASING OF RUBBER-LIKE ELASTIC MATERIAL HAVING A PERIPHERAL MARGINALPORTION IN INTERFITTING CONNECTION WITH SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THEPLATE, YIELDINGLY RELEASABLY TO SUPPORT THE CASING TO THE PLATE AGAINSTTHE ELASTICITY OF THE CASING MATERIAL; AND AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRYCONTAINED BY THE CASING, INCLUDING LIGHT BULB MEANS, A SOURCE OFELECTRICAL ENERGY, AND A SWITCH SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO CONNECT SAIDSOURCE WITH SAID LIGHT BULB MEANS TO LIGHT THE SAME; SAID SWITCHINCLUDING RELATIVELY FIXED AND MOVABLE CONTACT MEANS IN A PORTION OFSAID CIRCUITRY BETWEEN SAID ELECTRICAL SOURCE AND SAID LIGHT BULB MEANS;SAID CASING HAVING A DEPRESSIBLE ELASTIC PORTION CARRYING SAID MOVABLECONTACT AND BEING YIELDINGLY DEPRESSIBLE AGAINST THE INHERENT ELASTICITYOF THE CASING MATERIAL TO ENGAGE THE MOVABLE CONTACT WITH THE FIXEDCONTACT; SAID